Research Progress in Light Treatment for Postharvest Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract:

Postharvest fruits and vegetables often face issues of senescence and diseases, which lead to a decline in quality. Although conventional preservation techniques are widely applied, some of them have certain health risks. Light treatment, as an emerging non-thermal and non-toxic preservation technology, has attracted attention in the food industry. On the basis of the impacts of light on plant physiology and microbial growth, light treatment helps to maintain the freshness and market value of fruits and vegetables. The light sources for light treatment mainly include light-emitting diodes (LED), ultraviolet (UV), fluorescent lamps (FL), and pulsed light (PL). This review explores the application mechanisms and effects of light treatment in the preservation of fruits and vegetables, analyzes the effects of light treatment on the nutritional value, antioxidant components, and enzyme activity of fruits and vegetables, and discusses the current challenges and future development directions of this technology.